1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns use of telecommunication and pertains particularly to a text-enhanced voice menu system.
2. Related Information
With the advent of telephone voice menus, many businesses, government agencies and individuals are able to off load redundant tasks onto a voice-automated menu system.
Public switched telephone networks can be used to transfer video as well as audio information. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,450,123 issued on Sep. 12, 1995 to David B. Smith for METHOD TO ENHANCE VOICE COMMUNICATIONS USING ENCODED ONE-WAY VIDEO SIGNALS UNDER BI-DIRECTIONAL USER OR NETWORK CONTROL FOR TRANSMITTING STORED OR REAL-TIME VIDEO OR IMAGE INFORMATION, discloses an arrangement for supplying audio and video signals from separate sources to a video telecommunication station. U.S. Pat. No. 5,583,922 issued on Dec. 10, 1996 to Richard A. Davis, et al., for TELECOMMUNICATION SYSTEM FOR AUTOMATIC SWITCHING BETWEEN VOICE AND VISUAL DATA COMMUNICATIONS USING FORMS, discloses a telecommunication system which provides voice and data communications over a conventional telephone line between a server station and a client station using visual forms. U.S. Pat. No. 5,528,672 issued on Jun. 18, 1996 to Gerald M. Wert for TELEPHONE SYSTEM WITH SUBSCRIBER SELECTED AUDIO AND IMAGE ANNOUNCEMENTS, discloses a telephone network system which routes audio and image announcements into a call originating from a local telephone station of a calling party. U.S. Pat. No. 5,524,141 issued on Jun. 4, 1996 to David A Braun et al. for SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING DIRECTORY INFORMATION OVER A TELEPHONY NETWORK USING ADSI, discloses a system and method for accessing directory information over a telephony network employing the ADSI protocol and for presenting the directory information at the user""s conventional television monitor.
Additionally, in addition to audio and video images, data in various formats can be sent over a telephone network. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,922,516 issued on May 1, 1990 to Myron C. Butler et al. for TELEPHONE TECHNICIAN""S TERMINALS WITH AUTO-SELECTION OF DIAL PULSE ON DTMF SIGNALLING, discloses a field terminal for use in communicating in diverse modes with a central technician access network. U.S. Pat. No. 5,060,257 issued on Oct. 22, 1991 to George Penalver for VIDEOTEX TERMINAL FOR RECEIVING TELECOPIES, discloses a videotex terminal capable of receiving telecopies. U.S. Pat. No. 5,479,498 issued on Dec. 26, 1995 to Yigal Brandman et al. for DIGITAL LINE CARD HAVING UNIVERSAL PORT FOR UPGRADING ELECTRONIC MESSAGING SYSTEM, discloses a digital line card for use in an electronic messaging system which enables the receipt of voice and text or image data over a single communications port. U.S. Pat. No. 4,897,865 issued on Jan. 30, 1990 to Albert Canuel for TELEPHONE DATA COLLECTION DEVICE, discloses a telephone data terminal and data collection network for communicating data over a telephone system using DTMF tone dialing. U.S. Pat. No. 5,485,370 issued on Jan. 16, 1996 to Leslie C. Moss et al. for HOME SERVICES DELIVERY SYSTEM WITH INTELLIGENT TERMINAL EMULATOR, discloses communication between a user-friendly terminal, such as a xe2x80x9chome terminalxe2x80x9d shaped to resemble a conventional telephone, and a number of service provider computers such as financial institutions. U.S. Pat. No. 5,457,731 issued on Oct. 10, 1995 to Joe H. Witherspoon for EMERGENCY TELECOMMUNICATIONS DEVICE FOR THE DISABLED, discloses an emergency telecommunication system for the hearing or speech impaired which includes an interface electrically connecting the emergency system to a telephone communication system.
Despite the various usages of telephone networks to communicate other forms of data in addition to audio, there has been no text enhanced implementation of a voice-automated menu system for use with an enhanced telephone.
In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a text enhanced voice menu system is presented. A server for the text enhanced voice menu system includes data storage, a voice communication path, a text communication path and switch logic. The data storage stores audio information for producing a voice menu, and stores text information for producing a text version of the voice menu. The voice communication path generates a voice menu from the audio information. The text communication path generates a text menu from the text information. The switch logic selects one of the voice menu and the text menu to be transmitted over a connection line.
The present invention allows for flexibility in handling phone calls by allowing voice menus to be presented alternatively in text menu format.